Less than Perfect
by tears-in-rain
Summary: “W-What?” Riven stammered, his mind reeling. His heart was pounding loudly in his ears and the palms of his hands had broken out in a terrified sweat. His entire body was trembling as panic began to get a firm grip on his mind. “I’m pregnant" Musa repeate
1. Chapter 1

_It has been a long time since I've post anything, so here's a little something to let you know that I'm not dead. I've just been heaps busy with work, school and trying to squeeze in a social life. But I am still writing which this should be proof enough of. This is a little side project I started whenever I was stuck with another fic I'm working on – which is proving to be a massive undertaking – but now I managed to finish this one which I hope you enjoy._

* * *

**Less than Perfect**

**Chapter One**

Throughout the thirty-three years of his life, Riven had gotten to know exactly how it felt to be afraid. As a child he had grown up in perpetual fear on the streets, but he had developed a tough skin so that he wouldn't let it affect him. His schooling had landed him in some pretty nerve wracking situations – especially after the Winx Club had entered his life – but again he never let that get to him. Once he had graduated, Riven had followed a career in the military which had resulted in him being sent to actual war zones, but he could always deal with it. Riven was a man who always prided himself on being one who never let fear override his common sense or stand in the way of what he wanted.

Or at least, most of the time it didn't.

"W-What?" Riven stammered, his mind reeling. His heart was pounding loudly in his ears and the palms of his hands had broken out in a terrified sweat. His mouth had gone dry and his entire body was trembling as panic began to get a firm grip on his mind.

"I'm pregnant," Musa repeated, though more nervously than she had said it the first time. She had been thrilled when she had realized she was with child, but she had seen the blood drain out of her husbands face as soon as she had uttered those two words and even as she sat beside him on the couch in their elegant town house located in the capital city in the Harmonic Nebular, she could see the panic start to seep into his violet eyes. And when she saw that, she felt the joy about her new condition start to dampen.

Riven let out a deep, shuttering breath and ran a nervous hand through his burgundy hair, trying his hardest to hide from his wife just how badly it was shaking. Swallowing, Riven found his voice and struggled to keep it even. "You sure?"

"Yes," Musa nodded, feeling very uncertain of herself. She could remember Stella telling her and the other members of the Winx Club how Brandon had reacted when she had first told him when she was pregnant. Brandon had apparently cried out in pure delight, scooping her up in his arms and spinning her around, laughing and kissing her blissfully. But there was no such joy on Riven's face. "I did a home pregnancy test and when that came back positive, I went to the doctors to confirm it."

"And that was today."

"Yes," Musa nodded again. An awkward silence fell over the couple and neither of them seemed willing to break it. Musa was too shy and uncertain to try and voice the concerned thoughts that were flashing about her head, and Riven was too close to the verge of freaking out so he didn't dare open his mouth. His skill with words really hadn't improved that much since high school and experience had taught him that it was usually best to keep his mouth shut in tense emotional situation since he had a strong tendency to say the wrong thing. But as each second dragged by, Musa's need to know just what her husband was thinking grew till it got to the point where she couldn't take it any longer. "Riven? Are . . . Are you okay with this?"

Overcome with uneasiness, Riven got to his feet and started to pace in front of the couch like a caged animal. "I don't know," he confessed. "This is a pretty big step."

"I know it is, but I think it's one we're ready for," Musa told him with an encouraging smile. "I mean, we're adults, we're married, we've both got successful careers which means that were finically sound and most importantly, we're in love. I think that we're ready for this."

"Maybe, but I . . . I . . ." Riven trailed off, not sure how he had intended to finish that sentence when he started it.

"Riven," Musa cooed gently, getting to her feet and moving over to wrap her arms around his toned body in order to stop his pacing and maybe get him to open up to her. "Please, tell me what you're thinking. Are you . . . Are you even the least bit excited about this baby?"

Riven physically flinched at the 'B' word and he knew that Musa would have felt it. But his body and mind was still reeling from the news and this lack of composer was bound to lead to him messing this up.

"I-I don't know," Riven stammered for a second time. "It's just . . . I-I . . . Are you sure it's mine?"

As soon as the words left his lips, Riven knew he had made a mistake. Musa went ridged and before her husband had a chance to say one word, she mustered up all her hurt, anger and strength to punch him hard across the face. It was a powerful and well aimed punch – Riven would have expected anything less since he had been the one to teach her in the finer points of hand to hand combat – and Riven was forced to take a step backwards due to the sheer force of it. And when he saw the tears of hurt and anger gathering in his beloved's eyes, he would have welcomed a thousand more hits just like it.

"How dare you," Musa hissed, her entire body shaking in rage. "How dare you even suggest such a thing? Ever since my first year at Alfea, you were the only one I ever had eyes for and after being together for over ten years you dare to accuse me of being unfaithful?"

"Musa, I – "

"You asshole!" Musa seethed, unwilling to let him talk his way out of this one. "You total asshole! Don't forget, Riven, it wasn't me who was so easily seduced by a witch all those years go!"

Riven flinched at her words, but he didn't try to defend himself against them. Even after all these years, Riven still felt guilty and ashamed about his relationship with Darcy which is why Musa never brought it up. Unless, of course, she really wanted to hurt him.

"I can't believe you! You're still the jerk you were in high school!" Musa spat, turning on heel and storming towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Riven asked as he moved to stop her leaving, but when she looked back at him and he saw her free flowing tears and her furious navy eyes, he wisely stopped his pursuit.

"I'm going to Layla's," Musa informed him, her hand on the door knob to the front door and her voice dripping with acid. "And don't you dare try and follow me."

_Slam!!_

Riven flinched again as the slamming door echoed around their now empty home, and for the first time in a long time, Riven had doubts whether his relationship with Musa was going to survive.

* * *

_This story kind of came out of the fact that I kind got annoyed that every Winx Club story which involves them getting married and having kids always seem to happen when they're still at school or just graduated which I found to be a bit unbelievable. I mean, they can save the universe from impeding doom and the Trix but they can't maintain proper birth control? I have nothing against teenaged pregnancies since I know that a lot of girls in my grade are now mothers but at this stage in my life that's not the path I want to go down, and I graduated three years ago. Just my personal opinion but._

_Anyways, to be continued . . . _


	2. Chapter 2

_Wow, I wasn't expecting you guys to respond so quickly. I haven't been on the net for a few days since I had stuff to do (like going to the races. I won nothing but got nice and tipsy on wine. My friends and I all look fabulous but by the end of it half of us including myself were cursing the invention of heels.) and when I checked my emails it was like . . . whoa! Anyways, now you get to find out why Riven asked that completely, stupid question and get a bit of an insight into what's going on in that messed up head of his. _

_Oh, and I forgot to say that I own nothing except for a painful pair of heels._

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**Chapter Two**

"I don't know how you always get yourself into these messes," Helia commented calmly when Riven had finished telling him what had happened earlier that night.

"It's a special talent," Riven mumbled, his head resting on the work bench that he was sitting at.

After Musa had stormed out on him, Riven had stood staring at his front door for an unknown amount of time, trying to digest what had just happened. The new information his wife had just given him still wasn't settling well with him, so as soon as he was able to break himself out of his trance, Riven had headed straight for Helia and Flora's place to seek the calm, non-judgmental advice. Flora had been out when Riven had shown up, which Riven was more than fine with. He had grown to adore Flora over the years, so he really hated it whenever he saw even the slightest flicker of disappointment in her green eyes. Helia, however, was used to Riven's disappointments.

Riven had found his friend on the roof of his apartment. Helia and Flora flat had private access to the roof so they had transformed it to their own private garden. The glasshouse, which housed Flora's special and newly sprouted plants, also doubled as an outdoor art studio for Helia, who spent as many hours locked away in the greenhouse as he did in his larger art studio that they had in their apartment. Despite the fact that the sun had already set, Helia was still working on one of his newest paintings. But after years of painting while Flora worked with her plants, Helia had learnt how to focus on what he was painting and hold a conversation at the same time.

"I don't know why you're freaking out about this," Helia said, cleaning one of his paintbrushes on a rag. "Parenthood can be scary, but I think it's the best thing Flora and I have ever done."

"Yeah, but that's you and Flora," Riven reminded him, lifting his head off of Flora's work bench. One of her living plants whose pot was sitting next to Riven reached across with one of its arm-like vines and patted him on the back in a comforting manner, cooing in a strange plant language that Riven didn't understand, but he got the message anyway. "Musa and I aren't that perfect. Nothing ever goes smoothly for us and I know it's all because of me."

"Riven, wallowing in self-pity never helped anyone."

"I'm not wallowing in anything but the truth," Riven said bluntly and he honestly believed it. His relationship with Musa had never run smoothly. It had started off with him jerking her around and pushing her away to the point where he had ended up in the arms of Darcy instead of her. And that was all before they were officially a couple. It had taken Riven years to break out of his old habits of keeping everyone at a distance and bottling up his emotions, and even now he still had tendencies to slip back into them.

"Well, there's another truth I know of; the fact that you love Musa and you don't want to lose her. Isn't that why you asked her to marry you?"

"_Argh_, don't remind me of that night," Riven groaned, burying his face in his arms again. The night Riven proposed to Musa was a legendary story that their friends never tried of hearing, though Riven hated it whenever someone told it because to him, all it did was highlight what a massive screw up he was.

The night had been well thought out since it had taken several months for him to work up the courage to even set a date for the proposal let alone ask her. But after a truck load of encouragement from his friends and several death threats from Brandon, Riven finally booked the date.

It seemed simple enough. Riven would take her to a dinner and show in the Harmonic Nebular central park and ask her over dessert while one of her favourite orchestras performed on an outdoor stage. But Riven, being who he was, had made some stupid comment that Musa took offense too over their main course, resulting in her walking out on their date halfway through the night. She was so angry at him that she had magically barricaded her house when he followed her home. Riven ended up blurting out his proposal over the phone when had had called her up on his cell to try and straighten everything out and ended up coping an earful of insults instead. Musa had dropped the lock out barrier immediately and had opened the door to find a sheepish looking Riven on her doorstep with a velvet ring case in his hand.

Everyone had howled with mirth when Musa had told them the story of what had happened that night. Stella had actually collapsed onto the ground she was laughing so hard, gasping out between deep breathes and giggles how that was 'so typical Riven and Musa'. Riven could remember that comment vividly because it had made him feel very troubled and uneasy.

Were fights and mistakes really typical Riven and Musa?

Their wedding day had not gone any smoother. Riven, overcome with nerves and fear of commitment, had seriously contemplated bolting for it. It was Brandon who had suggest that Riven have a small drink of bourbon to try and calm his nerves and for a time it seemed to work. But when his friends failed to watch a freaked out Riven as closely as they should have, they soon found themselves with a half empty bottle of bourbon and a smashed groom who was due at the alter in a matter of minutes. Luckily, Stella had perfected a sobering spell after her graduation celebrations and had stepped in to clean up their mess, or else the heroes would have had a whole bunch of fairies hunting them down with the intent to maim them.

"I think you're being foolish," Helia said, putting his paintbrushes away for the night.

"I agree," a voice said from somewhere amongst Flora's plants and from out of the foliage stepped Nabu.

"Is Musa at your place?" Riven asked as Nabu made his way over to the other two men, treading carefully so he didn't step on any of Flora's plants. Nabu nodded and Riven really wasn't surprised to hear that. Every time Musa and he had a fight that resulted in her storming out on him, she'd always run to Layla's for a 'we hate Riven' bitch session. This happened more times that Riven cared to admit, but he and Nabu had adapted a routine that worked to Riven's benefit. Nabu would hang around long enough to hear Musa's side of the fight and why she was so upset and then he'd report to Riven so that they could try and figure out a way to patch things up with her. Riven hated to admit that he relied on these little bits of information, but as long as it kept Musa with him he was willing to go though with it. "How is she?"

"Upset and I really can't blame her," Nabu told his friend bluntly. "'Are you sure it's mine'? Are you kidding? What possessed you to even ask that?"

"Do you have any reason to suspect that it wouldn't be?" Helia asked seriously.

"No," Riven answered without hesitation. He knew that Musa loved him ever since high school and there was absolutely no chance that she would ever betray him like that. "I just . . . I didn't mean it the way it sounded."

"Then why ask?"

"Because . . . Because . . ." Riven stammered, pulling at his hair. Sighing deeply, Riven stared at the bench in front of him. He couldn't look at his friends while he said this. "Because I'm a complete and total screw up. Every good or important thing in my life I end up messing up. I don't even know why Musa's been with me as long as she has after all the times I've let her down. Everything just goes wrong for me."

"And that's why you're so freaked out?" Nabu asked, sliding in to sit beside Riven at Flora's work bench. "Because you're afraid of messing it up?"

"What if it's hereditary?" Riven pondered. "What if I screw this kids entire life just because it has my genes?"

"I don't think it works that way."

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean I won't mess it up some other way. I mean, let's face it; my family does not exactly have a good track record in this particular field. What if I accidentally . . . break it?"

"Riven, as a parent, you're always going to be afraid that you'll break the baby. That's a given," Helia assured his friend. "But you can't let a little bit of fear stand in the way of something as wonderful and rewarding as having a child. As a parent myself, I promise you that no matter how terrifying it might seem, it's all totally worth it."

"Really?" Riven asked, hoping that what Helia was saying was true.

"Of course. I was a nervous wreck when Flora first told me she was pregnant, but when I held that little girl in my arms for the first time, I fell in love with her. And to be honest, now I can't picture my life without her," Helia confessed, smiling a warm, soft smile at the memory. "The things that seem scary and hard are usually the things that you value and love most."

Riven let his friends' words sink in, but his face still looked rather trouble and there was still a trace of panic in violet eyes. Nabu was going to comment on it, but before he could say a word, a tiny, long haired figure dressed in pink pajamas came running into the glasshouse with a delighted squeal. Not slowing despite the risk of all the potted plants and vines that covered the floor, the little girl ran over to Helia and wrapped her little arms around his legs, a bright smile beaming up at him.

"Daddy!!"

"There's my favourite girl," Helia cooed, lifting his daughter up into his arms and hugging her tightly. She had been out much later than her normal bed time tonight, but Flora had wanted to take her to see the Luna Gardens like her mother had done to her when she was the same age, which is why Helia had agreed to stay home to give them some private mother-daughter time. The Luna Gardens only occurred once every five years and was a breath-taking display when the rare stardust flower would open its glowing, pale white flowers and eject its shinning golden pollen into the air to germinate and continue its species. The Luna Gardens had spread over the years to cover several acres so it was really a sight to behold. It also had a special place in Flora's heart because, not only was the stardust flower one of her favourite plants, but it had also been the place where Helia had proposed to her. "Did you have fun tonight?"

"Uh-huh. They were so pretty," the little girl told him in her gorgeous little voice of hers. At three years old, the child was absolutely adorable. Her hair was dark brown and very long, and her green eyes always glowed with happiness. Flora and Helia had called her Mansi, which meant 'plucked flower' and even at a young age, everyone could tell that she had inherited the kind and loving nature of her parents.

"And now it's time for bed," a sweet voice said from the door to the glasshouse, and the three men look over to see the always lovely Flora standing there with a soft smile on her face as she watched her husband with their daughter. Her smile didn't fade when she shifted her gaze off her family to the two other men who were sitting at her work bench. "Hello. I didn't know you two would be here."

"It all kind of happened spontaneously," Helia informed his wife.

"Oh, okay," Flora said. Whether or not she could tell that Riven was there seeking refuge from another fight with Musa – which she most probably did since this had happened several times in the past – Flora showed no outwards signs of judgment or even curiosity. She was just the same sweet, caring person that she was in high school. "Will you be staying the night?"

"No, I better get back before Layla decides that all men are useless and changes the locks," Nabu grinned.

"I should get going too," Riven mumbled.

"You sure?" Helia asked, shifting Mansi's weight in his arms.

"Yeah," Riven answered simply. He knew it was unlikely, but he wanted to be there in case Musa came home. He really needed to talk to her. And also he needed some time alone to think.

"Well, you know you're welcome here anytime," Flora reminded them. Riven grunted in response, getting up off the stool so he could begin his journey back to his town house in the Harmonic Nebular. In Helia's arms, Mansi started to squirm until her father put her down. As soon as her feet touched the ground, the little girl dashed through the greenhouse and threw her arms around Riven's leg.

"Bye Uncle 'iven," she gushed. Even through she had quite an impressive vocabulary for a three year old, she had never been able to put the R on the start of Riven's name. Not that Riven really cared. Mansi was cute enough to get away with anything. "I love you."

Riven's shoulders shifted tensely for a second but he forced himself to regain control in front of the others. He was a lot better with dealing with intimate emotions than he was in high school, but Mansi timing couldn't have been more difficult for him. Here was one child telling him how much she loved him while he still wasn't sure about the idea of having his own. It was enough to make his brain start to hurt. As stressed as he was, however, he did not want to upset Mansi after she had had such a fantastic night at the Luna Gardens. Forcing a soft smile, Riven gently patted her brunette head. "Love you too, little one. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Kay!" Mansi squealed, squeezing his leg again. And with that, Riven left for home where he would spend a sleepless night running things over in his mind.

* * *

_According to one of those baby name web sites, the girl's name Mansi is of Hopi Indian origin, and its meaning is "plucked flower". I thought it was a cute little name that blended Flora's flower persona with the Native American vibe I kind of get out of Helia when you see the way he decorated his room at Red Fountain and the earthly way he acts. _

_Anyways, TBC . . . _


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Riven never felt completely at ease in his own home whenever Musa wasn't there. Their town house was nowhere near as extensive or vast as the palace Brandon and Stella shared on Solaria, but whenever Musa was away on tour or if she ever decided to crash at Layla's instead of traveling all the way from Tides back home to the Harmonic Nebular, Riven had always felt their home felt bigger and emptier than it had even felt whenever his beloved wife was there. And the feeling was enough to make the once solitary man to travel to be with his friends or waste the night away at one of the pubs the Harmonic Nebular had on offer.

As a child, Riven had never had a place where he would dare to spend any longer than a few nights in a row at. The streets had been his only home and he had to keep moving around on it if he wanted to stay alive. That nomadic life style had been so firmly fixed in his nature that even Red Fountain – the place where he had spent four years of his life – had never been a place that he ever dared to call home. He was loyal to the name and the honour it represented, but he wasn't that attached to the actual building like others had. He just wasn't sentimental enough for that.

But that had all changed the day he had gotten a place with Musa. From that point onwards, Riven's idea of home was directly related to whether or not Musa was with him. She didn't have to be attached to the hip with him or anything ridiculous like that. Just knowing that they were under the same roof gave Riven a serenity that that he had never known before. He hated to admit it, but that damn pixie had turned him from a cold, cynical pessimist into a pathetic, love sick sap.

Riven felt more pathetic as usual as he sat alone in his empty town house, a hardly touched glass of scotch beside him. A whole day had past since Musa had dropped to news of her pregnancy on him and so far she hadn't returned home after storming out on him. And after a day of being lost in his own thoughts, Riven had tried to return to some of his old vices to try and find some release. Drinking had always been a wonderful means of escape for Riven, but tonight he just couldn't get into it. As terrified as she made him, Riven had decided a long time ago that he didn't want to run from Musa.

But now, with the baby . . .

Riven was still nowhere near close to figuring out how he felt about that particular issue when he heard the sound of someone unlocking his front door and entering the house. Snapping out of his thoughts, Riven scrambled to his feet and hurried to the door where he found his wife. Musa's navy eyes narrowed as they fell on him, a clear indication that their argument the night before had not been forgotten. Not that he expected anything less.

"I'm just grabbing some of my things and then I'm going straight back to Layla's," Musa told him firmly, marched past Riven with a determined stride. Riven was actually kind of surprised that the Princess of Tides hadn't followed her best friend as emotional support. Over the years, Riven and Layla had both grown up and had stopped being so stubborn to the point where they now actually considered themselves to be pretty good friends, but that didn't mean that Layla wouldn't be willing to kick his ass if he ever hurt her best friend. Riven wouldn't have respected her if she didn't. The pair of them was very similar to each other and given their close connection with Musa they had been forced to spend a lot of time together so they had learnt to live with each other, though that didn't mean they weren't without their little spats. Riven was unaware of it, but Layla hadn't followed Musa to the Harmonic Nebular because she knew that the two of them needed to sort this out. Neither of them would recover if they didn't.

"Musa," Riven tried, following after, but Musa wasn't interested in anything he had to say.

"I don't want to hear it, Riven," she snapped, storming into their bedroom. With a click of her fingers, their wardrobe door sprung open and a small, travel bag flew out onto the bed. With another twirl of the hand, clothes magically floated out of the wardrobe and chest of draws to pack themselves into the bag.

"Musa, please," Riven begged.

"No Riven. I just want to get my stuff and go."

"Look . . . If you just hear me out – "

"Oh, I think you've said enough already."

"I didn't mean it like – "

"Seriously Riven; I don't want to hear it! I can't hear it!" Musa shouted, glaring daggers at him as a toothbrush flew out of the bathroom and landed in the bag. "I can't stand here and let you push me away again! I thought we got past this stage in high school!"

"We did, it's just – "

"Bullshit we did! If we did then we wouldn't be in this position, now would we? We wouldn't be fighting over something that should be one of the happiest moments of our lives! But, no! You have to be a self-centered, sadistic commitmentphobe who sabotages everything good that happens to him!" Musa spat, and Riven just stood still, taking her rage without any effort to defend himself. "What the hell is wrong with you, Riven? Seriously, tell me because I have no idea why you aren't even the slightest bit happy about this!"

"Because I'm terrified I'm going to mess it up, just like I always do!" Riven admitted before turning his back on her and running a frustrated hand through his burgundy hair.

An awkward silence filled the room and the items that were being magically packed froze in midair. Embarrassed and ashamed, Riven refused to look at Musa so he wasn't aware that she was staring at him in pure shock. Musa was well aware that she had married a stubborn and proud man, so she knew that a confession like that was a rarity. It look a lot for Riven to admit that he was wrong or unable to do something, and it was easier to get a rock to bleed than it was to get Riven to confess that he was scared of something. Even though he had never said it, Musa had known that Riven had been terrified the night he had proposed to her and on their wedding day. But now he had to face something that scared him enough so that he couldn't deny it, and Musa finally understood why he had reacted the way he had at the news.

Slowly, Musa tip toed silently over to Riven and placed a tender hand on his arm. The 'tough guy' of the group jumped slightly under her touch and still refused to turn and face her, causing her throat tighten as moisture gathered in the corners of her eyes.

"Riven," she whispered, worming her way under his arm and wrapping her arms around his waist. Resting her cheek on his powerful chest, Musa squeezed him tightly. "I'm scared too. I'm scared that I'm going to do something wrong and scar them for life."

"That won't happen," Riven mumbled in a small voice. "You're perfect."

Musa laughed. "As lovely as it sounds, you know that's not true. But I know we'll be fine as long as you're with me on this."

"But . . . I'm . . . You know I'm not good with emotional stuff like that," Riven reminded her. "I mean, look how long it took for me to open up to you."

"I know, but I also know that you're not as terrible with kids as you might think. I mean, look at Mansi. She loves you. Sure, you're a moody git but you're great with her."

"Yeah, that's because at the end of the day I can hand her back to her parents. I won't be able to do that with this kid and – "

"Our kid," Musa interrupted him.

"What?"

"Our kid. It's not just _a_ kid, it's _our_ kid," Musa corrected. Looking up at him, Musa saw the mixed emotion in his eyes as that thought sunk in. She could still see an element of fear, but it definitely lacked the panic which had been so present the first time she had talked to him about her new condition. "Riven, we're having a baby."

Riven blinked as the information hit him again. He could remember the first time Musa had told him that she was pregnant he had gone into a fit of panic. His heart had started pounding, his knees had gone weak, hands sweated and all rational thought had left him. But now that he had had some time to let everything sink in and Musa had reworded it, Riven was starting to get the insane idea that he might just be able to survive this change. It had also stirred up an emotion that had always been there, but which had internally been smothered over by blind fear. He didn't know how transparent his thoughts had been, but Musa suddenly smiled widely with a glow in her eyes which he had never seen before.

"I love you," Riven blurted out for no real reason in particular. Hesitantly – like he was putting his hand into fire – Riven placed his hand on her stomach and caressed it tenderly. "Both of you."

With a delighted squeal that only animals that who could hear high frequency sounds could detect, Musa threw her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly. His hand got crushed painfully between them in the process, but he didn't care. Freeing his trapped arm, Riven wrapped his arms tightly around his beautiful, pregnant wife and returned the kiss passionately. He was still scared about what was going to happen in a couple months, but he wasn't going to let it stand in the way of being there for the person he loved more than anything else in the universe.

* * *

_I could leave it there . . . but I don't think I'm gonna. Picturing Riven in a delivery room situation is just too good to pass up. TBC_


	4. Chapter 4

_Alrighty then, lets just recap on what happened at the end of the last chapter . . ._

"I love you," Riven blurted out for no real reason in particular. Hesitantly – like he was putting his hand into fire – Riven placed his hand on her stomach and caressed it tenderly. "Both of you."

With a delighted squeal that only animals that who could hear high frequency sounds could detect, Musa threw her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly. His hand got crushed painfully between them in the process, but he didn't care. Freeing his trapped arm, Riven wrapped his arms tightly around his beautiful, pregnant wife and returned the kiss passionately. He was still scared about what was going to happen in a couple months, but he wasn't going to let it stand in the way of being there for the person he loved more than anything else in the universe.

_And now, let's see how long that lasts, shall we?_

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Riven stood frozen in pure, unbridled fear.

He couldn't tell how long he had been standing there. It had to be several hours by now. All he knew was that no matter how hard he tried, he just could not make his legs move. It was as if he was paralyzed and all he could do was stare at the double doors directly opposite him with wide, terrified eye.

"Dude, you've gotta go in there," Brandon said, trying to snap his friend out of his trance. He had been through this before so he knew how scary it could be, but he also knew that Riven had to get into that room. "Layla can only keep Musa happy for so long and then she's gonna demand that you get in there."

"No," Riven instantly refused. "I-I . . . No."

"Riven, just get in there."

Riven shook his head no, his eyes never leaving the doors across from him. All the blood had drained from his face and he still had that terrified glint in his violet eyes. Swallowing hard, Riven tried to focus his thoughts into composing a question he had been dying to ask for some time now. "Do they have a bar or something in this place? I really need a drink."

"Riven! We're in a hospital!"

"Is that a no?"

Riven had decided months ago that he was not going to let himself get freaked about becoming a father, but when Musa's labour pains had started and she needed to be taken to the hospital, Riven's nerve broke. Layla had been the one to accompany Musa to the delivery room while the others were left with the impossible task of trying to snap Riven out of his petrified state.

"How's it going?" Helia asked Brandon, walking over to the two. Mansi was trailing after him like a little shadow, completely unaware of how stressed the grown ups around her were.

"How do you think?" Brandon spat, folding his arms across his chest. "Honestly Riven, sometimes I swear you haven't changed at all since high school. Riv? Are you even listening to me?" Brandon demanded and all he got was a blank stare directed at the double doors opposite them. "I don't know why I bother."

"Riven," Helia said with more patience than Brandon had at the moment. "You know you've got to go in there."

"I . . ." Riven trailed off, his look distant.

"Come on, man. It'll be fine. Believe us. We've been here too," Brandon reminded him.

"I will pay you if you go in there instead of me," Riven offered.

Brandon laughed. "No way. Been there, done that."

"I don't think you're helping," Helia muttered to Brandon before return his attention to the father-to-be in crisis. "Riven, you can't stay out here in the waiting room and miss this. Get in there already."

"No," Riven shook his head. "I can't."

"Is Auntie Musa sick?" Mansi suddenly asked, peering up at the three men with her big, green eyes.

"No, Mansi. Aunt Musa's not sick," her father told her.

"Then why is Uncle 'iven so scared?"

"I'm not scared," Riven instantly denied. It was pathetic, but he had never been able to drop the tough guy persona he had adapted in high school, even when it was so obviously not the case.

"If you don't get into that delivery room you will be," Brandon muttered, referring to how Musa was going to kill him after this was finished.

Suddenly, without any prior warning, the double doors opposite them snapped out with a loud bang, causing the three men and the little girl to jump violently. Standing in the doorway with a determined glint in her eyes that bordered on the edge of sanity was Layla. Her lips were pulled back into a furious sneer and Riven could feel her anger burning into him.

"_You!"_ Layla shouted, pointing a livid finger directly at Riven, who instantly recoiled and coward backwards. But there was no way Layla was going to let him slink away like the other before her had let him. Storming over to him, the princess seized him around the wrist in a vice like grip that would end up leaving a bruise and dragged him through the double doors towards the delivery room. "You'd better get your ass in there or I swear to god I am going to make it impossible for you to produce any more children with my bare hands!"

Despite the threat of being turned into a eunuch, Riven dug his heels in and slipped out of Layla's grasp. "Layla, I can't – "

Layla cut him off with a hard, sharp slap to the left side of his face. "Don't you dare tell me you can't do this! You've already done it, you asshole! Musa is my best friend and I am _not_ going to let you abandon her in a time like this!"

"I'm not – "

_Slap!!_

Riven reeled as Layla hit him again. He may have been in the middle of a stress attack, but he was always surprised at how hard a princess could hit. But when that princess happened to be the strong, feminist Layla, he knew he shouldn't be too surprised. "Layla, I won't be any use in there."

"Men never are!"

"If I wasn't so freaked out, I might take offence to that," Riven told her and he was rewarded with another hit to the face. "Dammit woman! Stop hitting me!"

"I'm trying to knock some sense into you!" Layla shouted before trying to get some of her anger under control. She had gotten him to the delivery room door through brute force, but she knew that it was going to take a lot more than that to get him to step through those doors. Switching her game up, Layla grabbed his shoulders and forced him to look her in the eye. "Look, you love her, don't you?"

"Yes," Riven answered, a little dazed by her sudden change of temperament.

"Well, she needs you right now," Layla told him gently and Riven fell silent.

"She does?" Riven asked, and Layla could see his protective side starting to kick in. She might have objected to the boys always trying to act the hero when she first met them, but now she had learnt to use it to her advantage.

"Yes," Layla nodded and when she saw him glance towards the door, she knew she had won him over. "Go get her, solider."

Placing his hand on the delivery room door, Riven paused as one final bout of fear gripped him, but it vanished as Layla literally gave him one final push and he stumbled through the doors. Riven had been in many feign situations in his life – including that trip to the Realm of Realix in his junior year and another trip bra shopping with Stella – but he had never felt more out of place than he did in that room. Frozen like a deer in headlights, Riven simply looked around at the nurses and doctors as they work. One nurse somehow managed to maneuver him into a surgical gown and then rushed off to do something else. Riven felt completely lost and useless and he was contemplating making a bolt for it – even though he knew Layla would be guarding the door – but then he heard a small, scared whimper that made him freeze, though this time not out of fear.

"Riven?"

Lying on a delivery bed wearing a medical gown and looking very scared was Musa. Her swollen stomach ballooned out in front of her, looking even bigger on such a tiny frame. Riven had been there through all the stages of her pregnancy, but he could never remember her belly looking that big or her ever looking so scared.

His protective side overriding his fear, Riven's legs unfroze and he quickly rushed to his wife's side. The second he got there, Musa's hand shot out and grabbed his with a painfully tight squeeze. Riven didn't register the pain for several reasons, but mainly because he was focusing all his efforts on drowning out the feeling of guilt that had suddenly welled up inside of him. For the last few hours, he had been freaking out in the waiting room while Musa was in here all alone and no doubt feeling even more terrified than him.

"I'm here," Riven told her, squeezing her hand back gently. Musa looked up at him from the bed with wide eyes, and Riven could see both fear and relief in them. Her pale skin was beaded with sweat and her pig tailed hair was wet and disheveled. Tear had appeared in her corners of her eyes and she was biting her lower lip nervously. All in all, Riven thought she looked extremely small and scared, though at the moment he knew that she was being a lot braver than he had been acting. Leaning over, Riven kissed his wife's temple tenderly before moving his mouth to her ear so he could whisper, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Musa asked, her voice shaking slightly and sounding very tired.

"For not being brave enough to get here sooner."

"You're here now. That's all that I care about," Musa told him, looking him lovingly. Her eyes then narrowed slightly in confusion and concern. "Have you been fighting?"

Riven smiled sheepishly as he touched the left side of his face where Layla had been hitting him. It felt slightly swollen and he assumed that it had now turned red in colouring. Although ashamed and embarrassed by the reason behind his injuries, he did feel somewhat pleased with the thought that Layla's hand wouldn't be fairing any better. "It's all part of Layla's gentle persuasion to get me in here."

Despite her weariness and the pain she was in, Musa couldn't help but give a weak, little laugh. "Honestly, are you two ever going to learn to – "

Musa suddenly stopped mid-sentence as another contraction ripped through her body. Musa's already tight grip on Riven's hand suddenly constricted and Riven was sure he would have heard a snap come from his fingers if Musa's agonized scream hadn't completely filled his ears. Riven flinched at both the pain in his fingers and his ear drums, but also at the guilt that suddenly hit him since it was pretty much his fault that he wife was in this condition.

"Alrighty then, let's get this delivery under way, shall we?" the doctor asked in an out of place cheerfulness. With an encouraging smile that made Riven want to smash his face in, the doctor readied himself for the delivery. "Now Musa, on the count of three, I want you to start pushing just like you learnt in your birthing classes. Remember your breathing, okay?"

"Okay," Musa nodded though she really didn't look to keen about this.

"Okay. One, two, three! Push!"

Riven could be sure just how many times the doctor told her to do that because the blinding pain in his fingers from Musa squeezing then and the sound of her screaming drowned it all out. On the edge of he awareness, he noticed how annoyingly perky some of the nurses were – seriously, did they really need a cheer squad in a place like this? – and he also noticed that Musa had picked up on a lot of his foul language over the years. He was rather impressed with her up until the point where, for the second time that day, he had his manhood threatened by a stressed out woman.

"Alright, we're almost there," the doctor reported. "Just one more push."

With a painful scream through clenched teeth, Musa gave a big, mighty push and the slumped. Seconds later, a tiny, high pitched little wail filled the room. It was a sound Riven would remember for the rest of his life.

"Congratulations. You have a daughter," the nurse informed them with a wide smile as the doctor cut the umbilical cord and passed the new born baby off to the nurse so she could go get her cleaned up. Riven would have liked to have gone with her, but this delivery wasn't over yet. During a routine ultrasound, Riven and Musa had found out that not only were they going through their first pregnancy together, but they were expecting twins. So while one baby was safely delivered, there was still another one to go.

Five minutes later, the nurse smiled at them again, but this time she said, "You have a son."

A wide smile that lacked his usual sarcastic sneer spread across Riven's face. He had been so terrified about his moment for so long that he hadn't even considered the possibility that it would feel this good. Looking down, Riven regarded his sweat, exhausted but none the less radiant wife who smiled weakly back up at him. Tenderly, Riven cupped her cheek and kissed her softly before resting his forehead against her. "You were brilliant," he told her.

"You weren't bad either," Musa grinned.

"I didn't do anything."

"Oh yes you did," Musa reminded him in a jesting tone. "And don't think I'm going to forget it any time soon."

Riven couldn't help but laugh and kissed her again. Sensing someone approaching him from behind, Riven turned to find the nurse that had taken his daughter to get cleaned up had returned and she had brought with her a bundle of pink blankets.

"Say hello to your daughter," the nurse said, gently placing the little baby into his arms. For the first time that day, Riven didn't hesitate when he was faced with something that terrified him. Accepting the baby off of the nurse, Riven stared down at his daughter in pure awe. Anyone who knew him could tell you that Riven was not an emotional guy, but as he held that little baby girl in his arms, he felt water start to well in his eyes and he instantly fell in love, just like Helia said he would.

The baby resembled her mother mostly. Her skin – although red now from the delivery – would be as pale and smooth as porcelain. She had the same high cheek bones and slim eyes that her mother had, and atop her little head was a small tuft of midnight black hair. In fact, the only thing that she seemed to have inherited from her father was an intense pair of violet eyes and the fact that she was not afraid to let it be known that she was not pleased with her sudden change of location.

In Riven's eyes, she was absolutely adorable.

With a wide smile that he couldn't remove, Riven turned to gently pass his daughter to his awaiting wife. As exhausted as she was, Musa's eyes were alive with joy as she accepted the baby off of her husband. As soon as he had surrendered one of his children to his wife, Riven looked up to see that the other nurse returned with his son who was tightly wrapped in a blue blanket. The twins were identical in everything except for gender and the boy didn't seem as vocal as his sister was at that moment.

"Hello," Musa cooed gently to the baby in her arms, and the sound of her voice caused the little girl to stop screaming for a second. "Hello Melody."

It had been Musa who had ultimately decided on the names of their children, but she had made sure that she had adapted Riven's culture of naming people after nouns or verbs instead of traditional names into her choice. It had worked out well, since Melody had been her mother's name, and she knew she had made Riven very happy when she had told him her suggestion for the name of their son.

"Hello Hunter," Musa greeted her son who was staring up at his father with his big, violet eyes. Riven could see tears of joy trickling out of the corners of her eyes and he was in a similar situation. "Oh Riven, they're gorgeous."

"Just like they're mother," Riven told her, planting a tender kiss on the top of her head before he returned to admiring his newly extended family and he felt a strong surge of love rise up inside of him.

He may have been a complete screw up, but as far as he was concern, his children were nothing less than perfect.

* * *

_Okay, I would just like to point out to everyone that, while I am a woman, I am yet to actually experience the process of giving birth which is why I skipped at the fun of development and didn't go into much detail on the birthing bit. From what I've been seen in movies, TV shows etc, it seems to involve a lot of pain and screaming (although I've learnt from Chibi Horsewoman that screaming would prolong the labour since you're screaming instead of focusing on pushing the damn thing out) and a good helping of abuse being thrown at the father. I think I managed to cover all that and while there was a great demand for Riven to pass out, unfortunately I couldn't make it happen. That's the down side of writing a story based on a particular persons point of view; you kind of need them awake to keep the story going._

_Also, I gave them twins based on no other reason than I couldn't decide whether to give them a boy or a girl, so I gave them both. See, I liked the idea of Riven having a daughter but I really thought the name Hunter would be a great name for one of his kids since it's strong and kind of goes along the same not-really-a-name thing that the name Riven has.  
_

_Anyways, jut got the epilogue to go and I'm done. Yay!_


	5. Epilogue

_Okay, for the last chapter I decided to switch it up and tell the story from Musa's point of view. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Epilogue **

The sound of sharp, piercing wailing dragged Musa out of her sleep a life time sooner that she would have liked. As it was with most parents of newborns, Musa was absolutely exhausted from the lack of sleep and seemingly endless stream of messy dippers, drooling and spit ups, and it was made all the more difficult by the fact that she had given birth to twins.

Blinking groggily, Musa lay still, listening to the sound of her daughter crying as she tried to work up the motivation to leave the comfort of her bed and the temping sleep it promised. She was no where near close to it when she felt the mattress shift and Riven rolled over to plant a soft kiss on her bare shoulder.

"I'll go," he whispered hoarsely and a moment later, Musa found herself alone in her spacious bed and easily slipped back into sweet, tender sleep. Unfortunately, after weeks of rarely getting more than four hours sleep at one time, it wasn't long before Musa's eyes fluttered open to discover that her husband had not yet returned to their bed. After living with Riven for so long, Musa had gotten used to having him lying next to her, so his absence – even when she knew exactly where he was – felt odd to her. The sound of Melody crying had ceased, but Musa could see that the light in the nursery was still on.

Feeling more awake now, Musa sat up slowly and rubbed her eyes sleepily. Yawning, Musa swung her legs over the side of the bed and put cold feet on the floor. After locating her slippers and nightgown, Musa shuffled out towards the nursery where her two babies slept, and when she peered through the door she grinned widely at the sight that awaited her.

Hunter – the less difficult of the two twins – slept peacefully in his crib, his tiny little fist curled around the paw of a stuffed toy dog which he refused to be parted from. The second crib, however, was empty but instead of feeling any panic like a mother might feel if she came across an empty crib in the middle of the night, Musa felt a warm glow of love when she saw where her daughter had ended up.

Sitting in one of the arm chairs, basked in the soft glow of a lamp, was her husband and her daughter, both whom she loved more deeply than she could ever put into words. The dark rings under Riven's eyes were evidence of how tired he was, but he was uncharacteristically patient with his children, even at this ungodly hour. Melody lay face down on Riven's chest, listening to his heart beat and the deep rolling voice of her father as he tried to lull her to sleep by reading aloud to her from 'The Art of War'. Riven had never been one to be comfortable with using baby talk and gushing over his friends children and it was the same with his own, but Melody was a daughter of the Harmonic Nebular so she reacted more to the tone of the voice rather than the words being spoken.

"In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory. Indirect tactics, efficiently applied, are inexhaustible as Heaven and Earth, unending as the flow of rivers and streams; like the sun and moon, they end but to begin anew; like the four seasons, they pass away to return once more.

"There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard. There are not more than five primary colors (blue, yellow, red, white, and black), yet in combination they produce more hues than can ever been seen. There are not more than five cardinal tastes (sour, acrid, salt, sweet, bitter), yet combinations of them yield more flavors than can ever be tasted. In battle, there are not more than two methods of attack--the direct and the indirect; yet these two in combination give rise to an endless series of maneuvers."

Despite the fact that his voice was hoarse with exhaustion, Riven continued to read on from the book. Every time her paused to check if Melody had drifted off, she'd start to fuss and whimper till he started up again, gently stocking her back as he read the familiar text in front of him.

Smiling, Musa slipped back to her bed. Riven was more than capable of caring for his children and she planned to use the free time he ad gifted her to get a few precious hours sleep.

**The End.**

* * *

_Well, that's all of it. Now I guess I better go back to the other fics I've been working on, but I thinks this one came out pretty good for something that just started when I was trying to get past a bit of writers block. That bit about direct and indirect fighting was taken out of The Art of War by Sun Tzu, points 5 to 10 out of chapter 5: Energy. I never really had a chance to study The Art of War, but I was just reading over it and I loved the points about how there are only five musical notes and five tastes and so on. _

_Anyways, I just I'll catch you all later. Cheers, tears-in-rain_


End file.
